Israel assembly falls short in vote to expel lawmaker over genocide case

Source: Reuters

Israel assembly falls short in vote to expel lawmaker over genocide case

Reuters
February 19, 2024 1:24 PM EST Updated 4 hours ago

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Lawmakers from Israel's religious-nationalist coalition failed on Monday to gain enough votes in parliament to expel a far-left colleague over his support for an International Court of Justice (ICJ) case accusing the country of genocide in Gaza.

A total of 85 of the 120 members of the Knesset backed the motion to oust Ofer Cassif in a plenum session, five votes short of the 90-seat supermajority required.

The highly unusual vote to expel a sitting member of parliament reflects the fury in Israel at the case brought by South Africa, alleging that Israel's campaign to destroy the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza amounted to genocide.

Cassif, whose communist Hadash party sits in the opposition as part of a joint list with the left-wing Arab Ta'al party, signed an open letter backing the allegations, although he dismissed claims that he supported Hamas.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-assembly-falls-short-vote-expel-lawmaker-over-genocide-case-2024-02-19/

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